RAMIE, RHEA, CHINA GRASS, OR NETTLE FIBRE. 



9 



PREPARING AND SOFTENING. 



Before passing the filasse on to further pro- 

 cesses it is very desirable, in fact almost 

 necessary, to thoroughly impregnate it with a 

 substance called in the trade "prepare," by 

 means of which it is rendered more elastic and 

 more capable of passing easily through all the 

 various machines hereinafter referred to. This 

 process has another important object namely, 

 to prepare the filasse in such a manner that 

 all the machines can be run at their maximum 

 speed, with the view of obtaining the utmost 

 possible production, and at the same time with 

 the minimum of waste. The preparing process 

 has a tendency to slightly stiffen the fibres ; 

 consequently the filasse is passed through a 

 special softening machine, the operation of 

 which results in the fibres becoming thoroughly 

 soft, free, and ductile. This is an important 

 stage of the preparation, because, when carried 

 out efficiently by a really good lubricating pre- 

 pare, it very greatly facilitates the passage of 

 the fibre at full speed through all the subse- 

 quent machines, and thereby reduces the 

 amount of waste produced to the very mini- 

 mum. 



Too much importance cannot be attached to 

 a thoroughly practical treatment of the filasse 

 in the initial stage, because when the treat- 

 ment is well adapted to the nature and pecu- 

 liarities of the fibre, all following processes are 

 so facilitated as to make the spinning of ramie 

 a commercial success. If, on the other hand, 

 through lack of practical knowledge of the 

 peculiarities of the fibre, this initial preparing 

 process is ignored or not carefully carried out, 

 all the following operations must of necessity 

 be adversely affected. It may truly be said 

 that this softening operation and the combing 

 operation, concerning which more later on, are 

 the two most important operations in the 

 manufacture of ramie. 



After leaving the softening department, the 

 filasse, still in stricks, is fed by hand into a 

 gill-spreading machine of special construction, 

 the object of which is to transform it into 

 slivers, which are then passed through a series 

 of other special gill machines arranged 

 in a set, whereby the slivers, during 

 their passage through the various machines 

 in their proper sequence, are opened 

 out, simultaneously levelled, combined, 

 and made of equal thickness and loftiness, in 

 order to render them capable of being 

 efficiently treated by the combing machines 

 with the least possible waste. 



COMBING. 



These slivers are then fed automatically into the 

 combing machines, the fibres are automatically 

 combed, separated into their various qualities, 

 and delivered by the machines into cans in the- 

 form of slivers, which then undergo the fur- 

 ther processes of doubling, drawing, and' 

 equalising. As already stated, the combing 

 process is of vital importance, because it in- 

 fluences the working of all the following 

 machines both as regards quality and quantity 

 of the yarn produced a'nd economy of produc- 

 tion. 



The reputation of ramie has unfortunately 

 suffered severely through the employment of 

 defective combing machines, some of which 

 leave a considerable amount of short fibre 

 (noil) and extraneous matter in the finished 

 sliver of long fibre (top), thereby preventing 

 the spinning machines from producing good, 

 clean, and level yarn. Other combing machines 

 damage the fibre during the combing process 

 by breaking and shortening it, thereby re- 

 | ducing its quality and value and increasing the 

 amount of waste. There are also some comb- 

 ing machines to which the previous criticism 

 applies only in a minor degree their chief de- 

 fect is the smallness of their production and 

 the costly nature of the attendant labour, 

 rendering them almost prohibitive from a com- 

 mercial point of view in a ramie mill. A 

 really practical, well designed, and well con- 

 structed ramie combing machine ought to pos- 

 sess the following good qualities : 



It must comb and sort the fibres into their 

 various qualities and deliver each quality 

 separate. 



It must not break or shorten the fibre during 

 ! the combing. 



It must thoroughly clean and free it from 

 dirt and short fibre (noil). 



It must give a large production about 300' 

 Ib. a day. 



It must be capable of producing from pro- 

 perly prepared filasse about 70 per cent, of 

 good quality long spinning fibre (top) and 30 

 per cent, of short fibre (noil). 



It must be so designed and constructed that 

 it does not need skilled labour to attend it. 



It must not be liable to break down or get 



out of order ; the stoppage of combing 



machines for repairs involves not only very 



I expensive mechanical labour, but also a great 



I lessening of the production of the mill. 



Before passing on to the next process a few 

 words may be desirable respecting the noils or 



